Published: Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, January 5, 2013 at 12:04 a.m.

The face-lift of Nicholls State University's football stadium is finished, a little behind schedule but on budget.

The more than $1.3 million project was focused on replacing the stadium's 40-year-old, six-person elevator, which had become dangerously unstable.

"It had gotten to the point where we couldn't use the elevator at all, and that creates some handicapped-accessibility issues," said Mike Davis, Nicholls' facilities director. "This is something that had to be fixed."

Rebuilding the elevator shaft gave the school a chance to make some other changes to the stadium's facade. Crews enlarged the lobby and built a patio in front of the stadium.

Parts of the facade were also repainted.

"We're very happy with some of the changes," Davis said. "We felt like it took us from a stadium that looked more like a high school stadium into one that really fits a university."

The project took a little longer than expected because the Finnish company that built the elevator car was a few weeks late in delivering it.

As Nicholls struggles with continued budget cuts that have left faculty without raises and forced cutbacks campuswide, Davis points out that most of the project's money came from state sources that couldn't be used to pay for other things.

Because of the immediate problems the elevator posed, the state's Interim Emergency Board, a legislative committee that doles state money to fix pressing problems, paid for most of the repairs. Nicholls only picked up the tab for some of the smaller side projects.

"We could understand how somebody who passed by the stadium and saw the work we were doing there would say ‘Hey, they must not be that bad off,' " Davis said. "But the fact is that none of this money is something we could use elsewhere; we had to use it for this."

Athletic Director Rob Bernardi said the Athletic Department is pleased with the changes.

"That's a stadium that was built in 1972, and nothing had been done to it since," he said.

Bernardi said the renovations could help attract better players.

"It's all about the facilities these days," he said. "Any time you can make your facilities look nicer, it's helpful in the recruiting process."

Bernardi said officials are seeking upgrades to Nicholls' baseball facilities and to Barker Hall, which houses much of the Athletic Department.

"Facilities are the biggest issue with us right now," he said. "We're going to be looking to upgrade more buildings in the future."

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.

<p>The face-lift of Nicholls State University's football stadium is finished, a little behind schedule but on budget. </p><p>The more than $1.3 million project was focused on replacing the stadium's 40-year-old, six-person elevator, which had become dangerously unstable.</p><p>"It had gotten to the point where we couldn't use the elevator at all, and that creates some handicapped-accessibility issues," said Mike Davis, Nicholls' facilities director. "This is something that had to be fixed."</p><p>Rebuilding the elevator shaft gave the school a chance to make some other changes to the stadium's facade. Crews enlarged the lobby and built a patio in front of the stadium.</p><p>Parts of the facade were also repainted.</p><p>"We're very happy with some of the changes," Davis said. "We felt like it took us from a stadium that looked more like a high school stadium into one that really fits a university."</p><p>The project took a little longer than expected because the Finnish company that built the elevator car was a few weeks late in delivering it.</p><p>As Nicholls struggles with continued budget cuts that have left faculty without raises and forced cutbacks campuswide, Davis points out that most of the project's money came from state sources that couldn't be used to pay for other things.</p><p>Because of the immediate problems the elevator posed, the state's Interim Emergency Board, a legislative committee that doles state money to fix pressing problems, paid for most of the repairs. Nicholls only picked up the tab for some of the smaller side projects.</p><p>"We could understand how somebody who passed by the stadium and saw the work we were doing there would say 'Hey, they must not be that bad off,' " Davis said. "But the fact is that none of this money is something we could use elsewhere; we had to use it for this."</p><p>Athletic Director Rob Bernardi said the Athletic Department is pleased with the changes.</p><p>"That's a stadium that was built in 1972, and nothing had been done to it since," he said.</p><p>Bernardi said the renovations could help attract better players.</p><p>"It's all about the facilities these days," he said. "Any time you can make your facilities look nicer, it's helpful in the recruiting process."</p><p>Bernardi said officials are seeking upgrades to Nicholls' baseball facilities and to Barker Hall, which houses much of the Athletic Department. </p><p>"Facilities are the biggest issue with us right now," he said. "We're going to be looking to upgrade more buildings in the future."</p><p>Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.</p>